


Round and Round

by Benreysolos



Category: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (Comics)
Genre: 1980s, 80's Music, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Female Knights of Ren, Heavy Angst, Heavy Drinking, Kylo Ren Has Issues, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, M/M, Sexy Time, Slow Burn, im gonna update these tags as I continue to write but like this is about it so far
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:20:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27548986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Benreysolos/pseuds/Benreysolos
Summary: This is a re-upload of my 80's hair metal AU that for whatever reason my self-doubting artistic bs ass took down. This is my child and I think of her every day so here she is to stay. I will continue writing so stay tuned. In case you haven't figured it out yet this is a reylo fic in all of its controversial, sexy glory.SYNOPSISThe year is 1987. Best friends Rey Jakku and Rose Tico are beyond ready to start their lives as college graduates and interns of Skywalker Engineering in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, California. One night of bar-hopping in the hard rock scene proves a chance encounter between the two and rising glam rock stars The Knights of Ren, and things start to get a little heated… Rey finds that secrets abound within the sensitive, haunted soul of scorching hot lead guitarist Kylo Ren. This burns faster than a Marlboro cigarette… or does it? ;)
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	1. Round and Round

“This is it!”

The cab halted abruptly on the curbside. Rey, at the window seat, clutched the door, and took a look out, taking in the flurry of people who began to pour into the bar. They waved their ID’s at the towering male bouncers guarding the entrance. Above her on the right, a large neon red sign hung in jagged letters that read, "Starkiller".

“Look at all these people!” Rey said, her eyes wide open.

“This band is supposed to be really major. Good thing we got here early.” Rose replied. The cab driver cleared his throat, the sound tainted with phlegm. “Oh, here you go, sir,” Rose said. She handed the driver a ten dollar bill.

The cab driver looked at the price meter. “You’re about fifteen short.”  
  
“Fifteen!? Shit,” Rose looked through her purse. She handed over her last ten before Rey handed over the fifteen in cash.  
  
“Thanks Rey,” Rose said. She turned to the driver. “Have a good evening!” The driver grumbled, fumbling with his cash.

Rey opened the door and she felt the rush of the California heat hit her cheeks. She placed a pointed pink heel on the sidewalk and let herself out of the dated looking cab. She extended a hand out to reach for Rose, who stumbled a little as she exited. As soon as the door shut, the cab driver revved the engine and sped off. The men in line turned their heads to look up and down at the both of them as they both walked towards the entrance and pulled cash for the tickets from their wallets.

“I have us on the tickets, and some beer, but not for the ride home,” Rose lamented.

“Don’t worry,” Rey replied, “I have a five, that should be enough for a couple of beers and my ticket… plus a cab drive and a short walk back to the apartment,”

“Oh man, this is my fault, I wanted to come out here--”

“Trust me, that cab driver scammed the shit out of us. And don’t worry! We can figure something out, besides it’s not like I didn’t want to come… I heard the singer is quite attractive,”. They both squealed.

When they reached the front they showed their ID’s to the bouncer as he marked their hands with black stamps that read “21”. The sound of the opening band was clamoring and bouncing off the walls as Rey strode through the double doors, her shoes punching in dark wood floors. The familiar smell of cigarettes and beer filled her senses, and not so far off memories from college filled her auburn permed headspace.

“This is so awesome!” Rose half-exclaimed, half whispered as she held Rey’s hand and guided her towards the bar. She flagged down the bartender and ordered two beers, handing Rey a brown bottle that read _Budweiser_. Rey was thankful, and clutched the cool glass with her red manicured fingertips. Her hazel eyes swept around the room. The bar was to the right, long and adorned with multicolored Christmas lights, bustling with leather jacket clad men and women, wearing everything from leopard print jumpsuits with to jeans and combat boots. Most had cigarettes dangling from their mouths, nestled behind their ears, or resting between their fingers. The stage was farther back, raised a decent bit up from the floor and filled with sound guys and roadies breaking down the previous band’s instruments and setting up the second act’s-- microphones, amplifiers, a cheap looking drum set.

“Alright,” Rey began, bringing the bottle to her red lips to take a sip. She scrunched up her face at the cool taste of alcohol filling her mouth, her smile revealing immaculately white teeth.

“What time was the main band supposed to play?” she asked.

“Around nine” Rose responded.

Rey looked at her watch. It read seven forty-five. “About and hour or so,” she took a big swig from her bottle.

“I’m so excited,” Rose said as she did a little jump of excitement, tapping Rose on the shoulder. Rey was a lightweight and she was beginning to feel the slight tingle throughout her body from the alcohol. 

“Hey, didn’t you say Finn thought about coming, too?”

“Yeah, I think he had plans already but he said he might show up,” Rose said, “I like him, he’s cute,”. Her smile began to grow.

“Well, you could always invite him over,”

“Oh man, I don’t know, we work with him isn’t that like… frowned upon or something?”

“Who cares? If anything you can just keep it a secret, who’s gonna know as long as you’re professional?”

“True… his cubicle _is_ across the office from mine.”

“See, you’ll be fine, just don’t have sex in the storage closet. I heard Sharon and Diego did it in there…”

“No!”

Rey nodded and chugged the rest of her beer. Damn, I feel good. She thought.

“I just gotta act natural,” Rose declared, her fingers tapping the empty bottle as she placed it on the bar. The bangles on her arm jangled as she adjusted her tube top and mini skirt.  
Rey shook her empty beer bottle and placed it on the bar.

“I wish we didn’t get shitty intern pay. How am I supposed to work hard play hard on hourly?”

“Yeah, I need another one of these too,” Rose replied, clinking her bottle at Rey’s. She teetered and swung a free hand out, stumbling to the floor and out of reach of Rey who was ahead of her ready to get her hands on another round of drinks.

“Can I buy you another round?” A voice crooned from behind them.

Rey turned her head to look at the man who spoke from behind her. His gaze met hers and she froze.

He had full lips. Shoulder length black tresses. Broad, muscular shoulders that were barely contained by his black t-shirt. His eyes were deep and dark, but not the kind that told Rey that she should fear him. Not in the slightest.

“Uh…”

“I was… gonna order some for myself, but I overheard you guys. As long as you’re not drunk, I’ll get you both one.”

“Oh, sir, you don’t have to do that,” Rose said, looking at her friend. Rey looked like she was about to shit her pants as her eyes darted from his pectorals and back up to his face.

“It’s no trouble,” he said. The bartender immediately walked up to him.

“Hey man, what can I get you?” he was smiling wide as he clapped the man’s hand with his own in a greeting.

“Just three bottles of…” the man looked down at the empty bottles. “Budweiser.”

“You got it. It’s on me, don’t worry about it,” said the bartender.

“Thanks, Jim.” the man replied. Jim placed the three bottles in front of them.

“Thank you very much,” Rey said as she looked at his face. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears.

“You’re welcome,” he replied. “What’s your name?”

“Rey,” she said.

“I’m Ben,” he stuck out his hand for Rey to shake.

Rey looked at his developed bicep, the veins in his arm and all the way down to his rugged hand and grasped it. The sweat from his palm mingled with the sweat from her own. She felt each one of his fingers engulf her grasp. He moved on to Rose’s hand and shook.

“And your name?”

“Rose,”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” he swallowed his spit and looked down, turning his face away from her slightly. _She’s gorgeous_ , he thought “I have to be going, my friends are expecting me.” he looked reluctant. “I’ll, uh, see you around?”

Rey paused, her smile wry but her eyes never feigning interest. “Yeah, sure,”.

Ben smiled back. “I’ll see you later.” He turned and left the scene.

Rey watched him leave when Rose exclaimed, “Who was that!?”

“I--”

“Rose!” a voice from across the bar yelled. Rey snapped her gaze to the left to see Finn waving fervently from the bar entrance, engulfed in light from the low hanging ceiling near the bouncers before it opened up to the front of the bar. By his side was an exceedingly handsome man with a fine chiseled jawline and tousled brown hair, also waving.

The two men approached the couple of women sitting on their barstools, Finn leading the way as he introduced his friend to his coworkers.

“Hey!” Rose’s eyes lit up.

“So I could make it out after all!” Finn exclaimed, grinning.

“This is my friend, Poe.” said Finn.

“Hey, nice to meet you both,” he crooned as he flashed a charming grin, his kind eyes crinkling with his smile.

“Good to finally meet you!” said Rey, shaking his hand firmly and grinning widely.

“Nice to meet you,” Rose followed suit as she placed her hand gingerly into Poe’s.

“Finn’s told me a lot about you guys, how you helped each other out during intern orientation.” he smiled, revealing straight, brilliant white teeth.

Rey looked at Poe up and down. But, she thought, there was something about him that made her think he wasn’t interested in women. The way he looked at Finn was what sparked Rey’s interest in particular. Rose felt the same. They both thought to themselves, _He has great taste in men._

“Have you guys had anything to drink yet?” asked Poe.

“Yeah, we actually got these from that guy over there,” said Rey, lifting up her glass.

“Next round, I’m buying,” Finn turned towards Poe, “I’m going to get us some drinks.” He kissed him on the cheek and hung by the bar.

Rose felt a wave of disappointment. _Plenty of fish,_ she thought to herself. She mustered up a smile.

“I saw you both talking to that guy over there,” he smirked and raised his eyebrows slightly. “He bought you guys drinks?”

“Well, he wanted to buy Rey a drink but he was a gentleman, so he got them for the both of us.” Rose said, elbowing Rey playfully.

“No, he was just being nice! He heard we were broke, so he bought us the beer, that was it.” Rey said. Her cheeks started to flush from alcohol and embarrassment as she grinned from ear to ear. She flipped her hair for good measure. Poe laughed.

“What’d I miss?” Finn said. He handed Poe a martini with a pear slice on the rim, leaving the whiskey sour for himself.

“Rey has a boyfriend,” Rose said, continuing to take sips from the bottle.

“Shut up!” said Finn.

“He just bought us drinks,” said Rey.

“He was super hot,” said Rose.

“A super hot guy bought you drinks? Oooooo,” Finn grinned and placed the thin black drink straw between his lips and sipped.

“And,” Rose said, leaning in to the small circle they formed, “He said... see you later,” the words oozed out of her and she giggled.

“AHHHH!” Finn exclaimed.

They mingled, drinking and laughing when they suddenly heard the crowd howling with applause. They all turned to look at the cluster of people squashed together and making their way towards the small stage, stray whistles filling the air and the occasional woman’s voice screaming I LOVE YOU rising up towards the stage. In the next instance the band walked out on stage and began to wave at the small crowd as it roared and bellowed, a young, mischievous looking man clad in all black making his way to the microphone.

“How is everyone this fine evening?” he said with a devilish grin, his voice tantalizing and reverberating through the speakers and onto the walls, making the crowd roar even louder. With beer bottles and cigarettes in hand they raised them to the final act, no-one caring that their drinks sloshed around as the lights dimmed and a spotlight focused on the long and lean lead singer. In the shadows, a powerful blonde woman walked onstage and sat down at the drum set. Then a disheveled brown haired man in a worn leather jacket walked out with a bass guitar, stopping at stage right, until finally, holding a red Gibson Les Paul, a broad shouldered, muscular male completed the band’s look, his mid-length hair perfectly blow dried to frame his face, his makeup the most dramatic out of all the rest of his bandmates. The spotlight fanned out and the lights began to illuminate the stage as the drummer warmed up.

“Check those guys out,” Poe said ogling at the spectacle the band presented, gesturing towards their borderline over the top blow dried hair, knee high lace up boots and glittery makeup. Rey kept her eyes locked on one man in particular, that dark, brooding lead guitarist. She inspected his arms, the way he gripped his guitar delicately but with controlled force. His biceps bulged out from his sleeveless black muscle shirt. His fingers moved gently from each tuning peg to the other, his right hand picking the strings as they rang out loud and filled the bar crowd with even more anticipation.

“He’s huge,” Rose said.

Rey looked closer at the guitarist, at the tousling of his hair and his look of soft, gentle femininity mixed with masculine ruggedness-- there was something familiar about him. He looked out to the crowd, and the soft, kind gaze made her stomach drop.

Just as she turned to Rose to tell her what was happening, Ben strummed the strings with gentleness and energy at the same time, at the way he skillfully moved his fingers up and down the board, playing a C, then an F barr. He strummed the guitar with ease, showing off skill that years of playing alone in his room had gotten him. He kept his eyes on his fingers, until he was finally ready to play their first song, and he signaled his readiness with the quick strum of a G chord.

“Alright everyone, for those of you that don’t know us, allow me to introduce ourselves… the Knights of Ren,” the crowd roared as he let a wide grin push his the pink apples of his cheeks upward. Anyone could tell he lived for moments like these. “My name is Armitage Hux…” with each name call the crowd grew even more rowdy. “To my right we have our bassist, Deejay…. Behind me, is our drummer, Phasma…. And to my left, the one you all know and love, he lives for his solos… give it up for Kylo Ren!”

Whoops and hollers ensued, as Rose shook her head from her barstool. “Wow,” was all she could muster.

“They’re great, right?” Finn said, the eager look on his face lighting up the semicircle his friends formed.

“They’re animals, I want to get closer to the stage,” Poe said as he chugged the rest of the contents in his glass, setting it down on the counter with a thud. “Let’s goooo,” he beckoned Finn.

“Wha- hold on! Lemme finish my--”

A cacophonic, clambering rift sounded out from every one of the Marshall amplifiers that crowded the concrete wall from behind every member of the band. Rey instantly recognized it as Ratt’s Round and Round and all but leapt from out of her seat.

“I love this song!” she exclaimed.

“Rey…” Rose groaned.

“Come on, let’s go!” Rey said to Rose, her lipstick grin visible in the red and white stage lights that flickered all around the room.

“I’ll go with you!” Poe said as he grabbed her hand. Rey felt a rush of electricity as she felt the beat of the bass guitar and drums reverberate all through her chest, her eyes lighting up just as the stage did. She let Poe guide her to the middle of the crowd as Finn and Rose watched them merge into the swath of people, lingering back at the mahogany bar, Finn taking up Rey’s empty seat.

“I’ll keep an eye on them,” Finn said with facetious annoyance.

“Out on the streets, that’s where we’ll meet, you make the night, I always cross the line...” Hux crooned into the microphone, tapping a rubber booted heel and twirling his black microphone cord like leather clad cowboy swinging a lasso, pointing an alabaster hand out towards the throes of gorgeous half naked women in the crowd.

Ben let his annoyance swelter inside him as Hux put on his usual diva bad boy act. He felt the music all through his body, emanating out all of his rage and anger and frustration from that day into the chords and into their adoring fans’ ears. The bright lights from the stage allowed him to see just the front row of fans, crammed even in the small dive bar they’d been frequenting for the past couple of years. The scene had changed so much from the time they first played in his mom’s garage in high school, until now, when they could actually draw a crowd and get them excited about their music.

Ben looked at Rey in the crowd as he said the next line. “I knew right from the start… you put an arrow through my heart…”  
Rey felt like she could just about pass out right there and then.

“Round and round! With love we’ll find a way, just give it time…” Hux’s high pitched singing voice continued into the microphone. Kylo followed with the strong chord progression he loved, DJ with a steady brum brum brum of the bass, Phasma losing herself in her drumming.

“Round and round!” Kylo and Hux both echoed each other for the chorus .

“There’s space over here in the front!” Poe yelled over the blaring song towards Rey, the curls on his head swaying as he bounced his way towards the small fence rail in front of the stage, separating the crowd from the band. Rey saw an opening between a long haired fifty year old man and his young, corset top wearing girlfriend and managed to shove her way past them with a giggle, squeezing herself in the center of the crowd right next to Poe, who couldn’t stop moving and grinning at the exhilarating sound of Hux’s voice combined with the full bodied tone of the cherry red Les Paul.

“With love, we’ll find a way, just give it time!” they both sang along with the crowd. Rey lifted her hands up in the air and swung her hips back and forth, feeling the stress of the first week as an intern melting out through her sweat, beads dripping down her neck and vibrating in the lights from the stage.  
Ben noticed the young girl swinging her hips, front and center of the crowd, even as they cheered and switched gears to play their first original song of the night, Across the Stars.  
It wasn’t long before Kylo was stringing out one solo after another, wowing the crowd with each and every fine-focused strum of the guitar. He watched the crowd dance and jump and mosh in the cascade of night show stage lights in a trance inducing flow, like the Pacific ocean embracing oncoming waves from a far away storm. Rey and Poe lost themselves in the music, moving and dancing wildly.

Five charged melodies and one power ballad later, Kylo embraced the powerful affirmation of his existence the crowd offered him. He watched Hux, almost too drunk to function, sway and flip his wet auburn hair back, exposing his lean, chiseled pectorals and abdominal muscles through his deep V neck skin-tight, silver studded stage costume. dive off the stage as entire crowd screeching and he fell with a thud into the crowd.

The passed out singer sprawled with his back on top of his new friend, knocking Poe in the face with his elbow, and sprawled on top of Rey, his back across her stomach, lying unconscious in a far away drunken stupor.

“Get off me!” Rey howled over screeching feedback from the microphone as it clattered off the stage, the amplifiers producing more abhorrent noises.

“Shit,” Kylo murmured under his breath as soon as Hux hit the floor. He swung his guitar strap over his body, setting on the floor of the stage. He gave his sweaty, damp hair a flip as he dropped down to the floor, hopping the guard fence that Hux managed to clear right over with his leap. His towering, imposing stature parted the crowd once his boots hit the floor, striding towards the calamity. He grabbed Hux by the forearm and dragged him upwards with ease, the sudden motion causing him to fumble in the midst of the other crowd goers who were just starting to stand up straight.

Rey rolled over to see Poe out cold, his nose scrunched into the concrete floor. She groaned as she got to her knees, the crowd-goers watching her as she prodded him to wake up.

“Rey, Poe!” Finn exclaimed as he shoved his way through the bodies, immediately reaching for the unconscious Poe as Rose rushed to check up on Rey.

“What the hell just happened? Did that guy seriously just jump off stage and run them into the ground?” Finn yelled at the wide eyed Kylo Ren, propping up the lead singer as he slapped his face around to try and wake him up.

“I’m fine Rose, I think I’m just going to be bruised, is Poe unconscious?” Rey said shocked and clambering to shake Poe awake, his head drooping over Finn’s arm.

“Wake up Poe!” Finn yelled.

The crowd continued to murmur, half drunk and half clambering to get a closer look at the drama.

“Guys, guys,” Kylo stammered. “Bring him backstage, I can help you out,”

“You think I want him backstage with that asshole?” Finn screamed.

“Finn, calm down, we need to get him some ice or something.” Rose said calmly, her hands resting on Finn’s arm.

“Let’s go,” Rey said. She looked at Kylo Ren holding the singer, his large frame almost dwarfing the slender, unconscious one. She held his gaze for just a moment before reaching down to grab Poe’s legs, and lifting his body with one lift. Kylo raised his eyebrows at her strength, her arm muscles perfectly toned and glistening with sweat.

“Hey, do you hear me?” Kylo heard a familiar voice next to him. He looked over and saw DJ reaching for Hux’s legs. “On three we lift.”

They lifted Hux’s body and headed backstage, Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe following suit not far behind them. The entire bar began to howl and cheer, and Phasma took to the mic, the feedback splitting her eardrums.

“Hi everyone… shows over. Thanks for coming out… come see us at Death Star next Saturday! Have a good evening, motherfuckers.” She said. Yet again their lead singer dove offstage in a drunken stupor, and she was more than seething. What did I expect? She thought. This was, in fact, a dive bar.


	2. Take My Breath Away

“What happened…” Poe groaned. Three people-- Rose, Rey and Finn-- helped carry the pretty boy away from the crowd that slowly swarmed them, the back of his leather jacket grazing the filthy bar floor.

“We’re going backstage. You got knocked out, just hang on,” Finn grunted, picking Poe up by his right arm.

“Can we hurry this up?” Rey forced through gritted teeth as she struggled to hold up one of his booted legs. She looked up to see the singer rousing in Kylo and Deejay’s arms as she heard the crowd's cheers calling “ _Encore, encore!”_ in the background.

Rey, Finn, and Rose angled their bodies so that they were able to lay Poe on top of a badly stained sofa, the springs and stuffing jutting out from holes and cracks in the upholstery. Rey grimaced. _Better than the floor?_ She thought. The backstage was cramped; the sofa, an equally tired armchair, and a wooden chair next to the vanity were the only seats available for the sudden influx of band members and disgruntled friends. The walls were covered in band posters and advertisements for drink specials, and reeked of pot, cigarette smoke, mildew and alcohol.

DJ and Kylo threw Hux into the wooden chair. Hux groaned as he came to, chuckling and grasping for his forehead.

“Nice nose dive, you _idiot.”_ Kylo barked.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh,” Hux groaned, his mind still disoriented from the fall. Kylo mumbled curses under his breath.

As she stood there, watching the scene unfold in front of her, Rey’s attention affixed to the low mumbling drunkenness of Hux’s body sprawled out in his chair. Her gaze then moved to the tall, powerful figure of Kylo Ren, who stood directly next to the frazzled singer. He brought one big, burly hand up to his wide neck and shifted his head back ever so slightly to stretch out his tense muscles, his luscious hair-sprayed black hair full and voluminous. In the brighter light of the backstage, Rey could better make out his clean shaven, muscular chest that was exposed through his V-Neck leather stage costume. His body was drenched and dripping with sweat from playing song after song in the stifling heat of the red and blue lighted stage. _I can’t believe that’s Ben,_ she thought. Pure, raw desire stirred within her, forcing herself to look away as she caught herself lingering on his body for longer than she was ready to admit to herself. 

“I’ll be right back,” Ben grumbled. He scanned the room and took large steps towards the door. His piercing gaze hit each and every new person they had brought in from the crowd, before resting upon Rey for a split second longer. He paused in front of her.

“Do you need anything? Water? Ice?” he asked the miniskirt maiden, taking her by surprise.

Rey’s eyes were wide as she looked directly into the musician’s face. She took note of the fullness of his lips, the charmingly asymmetrical bone structure of his jawline before pausing to gaze into his almond shaped brown eyes. In them, kindness, and something else she couldn’t make out... The entire room honed in on the two starting intently into each other’s eyes. 

“Oh, uh… no, I’m alright.” She replied finally.

“Are you sure?” He asked. “You’ve got a few bruises here,” he gestured to her arm. “And on your forehead…” he raised his hand up to reach for her hairline, and Rey stiffened at his touch. _He just touched me he just TOUCHED ME HE’S IN THE FAMOUS BAND AND HE’S SO HOT AND HE TOUCHED ME--_

“Poe was much more badly hurt than I was,” she said, her voice trembling, “Maybe we could get some ice for him?”

He looked over at Poe resting on the couch in Finn’s lap. They both watched the scene unfold with raised eyebrows, the whites of their eyes showing.

“Alright,” Ben said, before he disappeared into the doorway. Only the sound of his boot steps echoing through the hall reached Rey’s ears as he headed out to the bar.

There was a long pause. “Well shit, I wish he was that nice to the rest of us,” DJ said. 

“Did I do great?” Hux mumbled.

“Drink your water, you imbecile.” Phasma barked. “Who’s breaking down the stage? Are the roadies out there?” 

“Probably what Ben went to go take care of, too.” DJ said, pulling a Marlboro cigarette out of its package. “Sorry about all this…” DJ said to the rest of the room, his arm making a sweeping gesture to the room. 

“Yeah, well you should be,” Finn retorted. DJ’s gaze lowered to the ground as he attempted to bring coolness to the tense, awkward silence.

“Ookay,” DJ said, turning away to take another huff from his cigarette.

The silence came back, and remained awkward.

“I’m sorry I jumped on you… I just couldn’t resist.” Hux interjected, wheezing out a small laugh before groaning and resting back on the chair.

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Rose said, liquid courage fueling her words.

“Hey, hey, take it easy.” DJ repeated as Ben walked back into the room with a bag of ice in his hand. Rey straightened her slouching back and stole a glance. When it was returned, she looked down towards her heels.

“Here,” he said, plopping it into Finn’s hands.

“Thanks… I guess,” Finn said as he placed it gently on Poe’s forehead. Poe groaned faintly at the feeling of cold water on his forehead.

“You know, we don’t usually do this, but since you’ve all been greatly inconvenienced, and we don’t want to get sued or nothin’, maybe we should just give you a ride home, for your troubles,” DJ said. Rey’s interest was piqued.

“No, we won’t be needing that _thank you,”_ Finn seethed.

“Do you even have a car big enough for all of us?” Rose asked. 

“We have two.” Ben replied, his voice deep and soft compared to DJ’s weasely tone. “My Mustang, and the van.” 

“Of course he drives a Mustang.” Finn mumbled under his breath, tending to Poe.

“I’ve got shit to do after this,” Phasma declared, her tone icy.

Ben tried his best to suppress an emotionally charged outburst, maintaining his composure for the uninvited guests… but mostly for one woman in particular. “The stang is a coupe, so it fits two.” He said in a low voice, his eyes darting up for a quick glance at Rey’s reaction. She felt her face burn as she quickly redirected her attention back to Finn and Poe. “Phasma would be driving you guys… one of you could come with me. It gets kind of cramped in the van with all the band gear and other shit.” He looked at Hux.

“We won’t have to pay for a cab, it’s the least they could do,” Poe mumbled to Finn, patting his face. 

While her friends were snarky at the idea, Rey thought of the possibility of her legs sitting in the leather seats of Kylo’s mustang, his studded bracelet-clad arm on the gear shift, his boots pressing on the clutch pedal, his massive frame taking up all the room in that tight vehicle...

“We’d like that,” Rey blurted, Rose and Finn both staring at her with a _really?_

“Yaaaaay,” Poe groaned.

“Alright then,” Ben said, a faint smirk gracing his face.

“Plus, we won’t have to walk home after like we were going to do.” Rey said.

“Yeah...” Rose said, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed.

There was astute murmuring among one another and long, steely glances exchanged between Phasma and Finn. Rey struggled to muster up the courage to say more words to the quiet, brooding Ben, who she was sure felt sorry for the actions of their unruly singer. His arms were crossed as he stood on the other side of the room with his band mates as Hux jeered and snickered at him, reveling in the fact that he had another successful stage dive. Rey stood with her friends, listening to Rose and Finn’s whispers of disapproval about the other band mates. Thoughts creeped into her mind. He was a rockstar, and who was she? Just an intern. She wouldn’t be a real engineer for some time. She was just another groupie to him, more than likely. _How many women do you think have ridden in that Mustang before you?_ She thought. _Yes he’s charming, but he’s a rockstar. He’s probably done it to so many women before you. Plus, he’ll be on tour most of the time. Don’t be naïve._ She didn’t need to get her heart broken, not by someone like him. But now she was stuck for a twenty minute long ride in his car with him, beautiful, talented, mysterious Ben. _What did you just do, Rey?_ She sighed as her lips turned to the slightest frown.

When logistics were figured out, and Rey had adamantly volunteered to be with the sexy emo honeypot Kylo Ren, then the entire crew walked out the back door and into the parking lot. As far as Kylo Ren knew, he believed Rey was just shielding him from the animosity of her vivacious friends, or, what he had hoped for instead was finally coming to fruition. He looked at the way she smiled, at her toned, sculpted legs, which made their way all the way up to... 

“That’s your car?” Rey gasped, gesturing to the sleek, shiny black hunk of machinery.

In the back, behind the red neon sign of the front door, was a larger parking lot, where, adjacent to the band’s Chevy camper van, Kylo Ren’s immaculately waxed black and red striped 1977 Mustang coupe lay in waiting.

“Yeah. You’re riding with me, aren’t you?” Kylo said, his voice deep and coaxing as he looked over at Rey.

“Yeah,” Rey said, swallowing. His voice was so deep it sent shivers down her spine.

“I have your plates memorized,” Finn barked, pointing two fingers in his eyes and redirecting them back towards Kylo. “I’m watching you.”

“Finn!” Rey whispered.

Kylo smirked.

To Rey’s left, Rose was veering off towards the van to open the side door, raising her eyebrows before reaching for the door handle and using all her might to open it, poorly stabilizing herself on her heels. Rey giggled and looked at the Mustang’s immaculately kept exterior. Peeking inside, she noticed black leather, and a pair of red fuzzy dice hanging on the rearview mirror.

“We’re going to lead the way,” Kylo said. “You’re giving directions, copilot,” he said to Rey. With that, Rose acknowledged with a coy grin as she let Poe and Finn climb into the van first before sliding the van door shut, the words KOR written in black script painted on the entire side of the van.

“Alright, well… let’s go.” Rey said, opening the door to the passenger seat of the stang. She slid into the leather interior, shutting the door as she smelled the faint musk of a man. She breathed deeply and watched from her peripheral vision Kylo enter the vehicle, a gentle brush of wind bringing in more of his musky scent as he slammed the door shut. A vacuum of pheromones and cologne. The engine purred loudly as Kylo started the car, sending waves of noise all through the interior, the intensity of the engine vibrating the seats. Rey watched Kylo’s hands grip and release the emergency brake, then with a velvet touch put his hands on the stick shift to roll the car up to the exit, the hum of the engine filling Rey’s body with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

“Am I making a right or a left up here?” Kylo asked, his voice a low purr.

Rey’s mouth went dry as her fingers bunched up and squeezed the edge of her skirt. She felt his eyes on her face.

She turned her head towards him as her eyes danced around his gaze. From behind him, swaths of women poured out of the bar squealing and screaming, _That’s them, that’s them!,_ their voices muffled from behind the glass.

“Um… make a right… what’s going on over there?” she mused, her eyes wide with one eyebrow raised.

Ben turned to look at the women screaming and howling _I LOVE YOU!_ over and over again. He grimaced. He moved his hands toward the clutch and shifted it into first gear.

“Just the fans,” he replied, his voice coy.

“Oh,” Rey said.

Ben stepped on the gas, and, making sure that his bandmates were close behind, made a swift right as the tires squealed before the women made their way to the driver's side window. Even in the glow of the street lamps, Rey noticed, Ben's face makeup glittered just as it did on stage.

“At the second stoplight you’ll make another right,” she asserted.

“Alright.”

The tension between them so thick Rey could cut it with a knife. Even in the confines of his own vehicle, she could see Kylo shifting around in his seat, smoothing back his hair, checking his rearview mirrors constantly. _What do I say,_ he thought, _she’s so hot, she’s unbelievably sexy, oh my--_

“Kylo Ren, what made you think of that stage name?” Rey asked, breaking the silence.

Ben stiffened before quipping- “That’s actually my real name.”

Rey paused. _Shit, I just insulted him. Shit shit shit shit._ “Oh, it is? I’m sorry, I-"

“I’m kidding.” Ben chuckled, his grin beginning to show as he reached the stoplight to turn right, the red lights of the stoplight illuminating his face. “My real name is Ben, like I told you. Last name is Solo."

Rey breathed a sigh. “I’m sorry, I assumed your stage name couldn’t be your real name, Ben… Solo.” she said, her thoughts lingering on the sound of his name. _Is Ben short for Benjamin?_ She thought.

“And no, it’s not short for Benjamin. It’s just Ben.”

“Oh, okay,” she said, smiling subtly. “Does your singer always take nose dives into the crowd?” she asked.

”I’m still sorry about that.” Ben grimaced.

“Not your fault, it’s the Axl Rose look-alike’s fault.”

Ben paused and chuckled. “He does kind of look like him, doesn’t he?”

“It’s the diva-boy attitude that does it,” Rey smiled, making Ben laugh just a bit louder. He was a man of few words to her, but definitely the kind that had a lot on his mind. His surly, reserved demeanor only enticed Rey. But something held her back. _Control yourself,_ her inner dialogue commanded. _We don't want to get hurt._

"How long have you been living in L.A.?" Ben asked.

"About six months. Rose and I just graduated from college." 

"Oh okay." He thought about Finn and Poe. _Was she with either of them?_ He thought. "What about the other two?"

"Oh, Finn and Poe? Their friends of ours, we met them at work." She replied. _Should I be telling this guy where I work yet? Maybe not yet..._ She mused over how much of herself to reveal to him as the complex showed up into view.

“The complex is just up ahead,” she said, gesturing in the general direction. “On Falcon street. The art deco building.” She began to gather herself up, adjusting her shoes and skirt.

“Hey," Ben said. "I never got your name,”. He pulled up to the complex, next to the yellow orange glow of lantern light next to an old growth oak tree.

“It’s Rey.” she said, opening the passenger door. “Thank you again for the ride, it was very… kind of you.” 

“After what Hux did, I should be the one thanking you for letting me take you home.” He said, stiffening at the abnormal tone of sincerity in his own words, wondering when it was the last time he spoke to someone kindly on a consistent basis.

Rey didn’t know what to say as she got out of the car as he followed suit, the Chevy van parked directly behind them. Her stomach began to turn into knots. _What now? What do I say? What do I do?_ She thought as the sliding door to the van opened. She looked at the van and then back at Ben. One hand gripped the steering wheel tight as he, too, felt his stomach turn to mush.

“It _reeks_ in there!” Finn said, his tone exasperated as he guided Poe and Rose out onto the sidewalk.

“Yeah… it’s got it’s own musk.” DJ said from the rolled down passenger side window, a lit cigarette dangling from his fingers.

“I’ve got the keys,” Rose declared, sliding the van door shut, holding her breath from the putrid stench.

“Can I call you?” Ben asked finally. His eyes like a puppy dog’s as he gazed upon Rey.

“I- we don’t have a phone set up just yet,” Rey replied as she reached out to grab one of Poe’s arms. 

“Oh, okay...” Ben said, his look resigned. 

She saw the change in his mood and panicked. “I promise you, we just moved in not too long ago.” She smiled. “Can I get your number instead?” Ben smiled. He pulled out a pen and wrote his digits on her arm _._ He signed it _Ben._

Ben watched as the group made their way up the steps to Rey and Rose’s apartment. He admired the gentle sway of Rey’s hips in the blue black light as she balanced on her heels, her curls bouncing with her step. Rey felt this mysterious man’s gaze upon her until she heard the car and the band van drive away just after she let her friends in and turned around to shut the door, looking upon nothing but the warm glow of the street lamp and hearing the crickets chirp in the azalea bushes.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on the tumblrino @benreysoloss <3


	3. Fool in the Rain

Rose poured three shots of vodka into a highball glass, followed by a generous helping of Minute Maid orange juice. She took a sip and smiled, lips closed, and poured another serving for Rey.

Rose and Rey’s studio apartment waited desperately to be decorated but instead was strewn with moving boxes, styrofoam peanuts, and the occasional empty bottle of Bud Light. Rey heard the groans of Poe stumbling next to the counter as he took a seat on the barstool. Rey slipped off her hot pink pointed heels and tossed them into the foyer, swaying her hips into the kitchen behind Rose, still high from her conversation with the impeccably handsome Mustang-driving Ben Solo. She situated herself atop the counter, her hair slightly messy, which made her all the more alluring.

Rose slammed the glass of orange juice on the counter after she downed the contents of her glass. “You _have_ to tell me what happened in the car, right now,” she demanded, crossing her arms. 

“You have a thing for him,” Finn said to Rey, half smirking. “And he definitely has a thing for you.”

“He does _not,_ ” Rey insisted, leaning her hands back on the counter, her fair skin illuminated in the warm kitchen lights above her. “He was just being nice... and I got his number!" She flashed the digits on her arm and her friends squealed.

“He bought us drinks before he went onstage,” Rose told Finn and Poe, their expressions eager. “He probably didn’t realize that it was going to go the way that it did, but, at least he got you to ride with him in his car.”

“Honey, I don’t blame you.” Poe declared. “Did you see his biceps? I wish _he_ was the one that fell on top of me, not that scrawny looking singer.” Finn laughed.

“She likes the way those fingers moved,” Finn teased. Everyone laughed but Rey.

“ _No,_ it’s not like that!” Rey cried playfully, smiling.

“I think I heard they're supposed to be playing at X-Wing here soon. I’ve been there, it’s a lot nicer than the place we were just at,” Poe said, holding up a bag of ice to his head. “I’m surprised by how good they were, I wouldn't be surprised if they made it big."

“Oh, they’re going to be known alright,” Finn said disparagingly. “They need to put that redhead on a leash.”

“Interesting,” Rose noted. She paused to mull Rey’s words over in her mind. “If you’re going, Rey, you’d better not go without me.”

“You guys,” she said, flushing red. She took a sip of her vodka and thought. Their phones wouldn’t be set up until Monday, and it was Friday night. She looked down at her arm at Ben’s phone number, delicately written with perfect penmanship, and butterflies fluttered beneath her blouse. _He’ll be okay with sweating it out for a couple of days._ She smirked.

The crew watched MTV until they fell asleep in the living room, orange juice and vodka and Doritos and Hostess cakes strewn across the coffee table. Rey was the last one awake, and she stared at the brick ceiling, thinking of what her first real day as an intern at Skywalker Aerospace would be like starting on Monday. She wondered where her parents were right now, if they were still stuck in the shithole town she was from in Arizona. She hadn’t spoken to them since she graduated high school. Late nights awake always brought her memories of them drinking themselves sick and putting lighter flames underneath silver spoons, sticking long reused needles in their arms at breakfast time and lying around like zombies in front of the television. She got the scholarship from UCLA and never looked back, making a new family with Rose and then, maybe she thought, Finn and Poe could be part of that little family, too. Her mind wandered further. Where would a man fit into that picture? What would he be like? What was she even looking for in a man? Was she looking? Well, Ben had certainly caught her eye. Ben Solo… it was a nice name. A simple name for a mysterious and intense man. _What would it be like to come home to him?_ She thought. 

_Don’t be ridiculous,_ she mused. _You don’t even know him._ That is, of course, if he wasn’t like every other man who’d pursued her, entertaining other women, “not ready for a relationship” and so on and so forth. Even as she tried to push the thought away, she couldn’t help a, _But, I’ve only just met him_. She was single all through high school and college, and occasionally she’d fooled around with men. But as she was settling into her career and starting her adult life, sometimes she wondered what it would be like to know someone was there for you in the lonely hours of the night. And for some reason, she thought, maybe she could feel that way about Ben.

She forced her thoughts aside finally and turned over to face the window, shoving her arms underneath her pillow as she adjusted it. She closed her eyes and thought of the first time she saw the Pacific Ocean when she first moved to California. A warm comfort enveloped her as she drifted to the sounds of her friends sleeping.

XOXO

Ben woke the next morning to the sound of the radio alarm on his bedside table playing Led Zeppelin. The red analog numbers of the clock flashed as Jimmy Page strummed along to “Fool in the Rain”. All around the bedroom were casually strewn pairs of jeans, the occasional guitar pick. On the walls were band posters, of his own band and of others Ben admired, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard. Faint morning light shone through the window as he finally squinted to make out the time on the alarm properly. Seven-thirty A.M. 

Noone would be awake at this hour. Ben always rose the earliest of everyone in the house, it was one of those things that had been so ingrained in him by his mother that even with his rock and roll lifestyle, his body forced him awake at the same time every single day. He threw on a pair of jeans with a belt still on them, neglecting to put on a shirt, and headed for the kitchen. 

His room was at the back of the house and was the master bedroom. Three other doors lined the hallway that led to the kitchen and on to the front of the house, leading to three other rooms that housed his bandmates, Hux, Phasma, and DJ. The sounds of Phasma’s and Hux’s snoring was a constant every morning, and he could hear it even as he flipped on the television to watch the local news as he poured Folger’s grounds into the Coffee Maker.

Ben lit a cigarette and stepped out onto his balcony. The same one that overlooked West Hollywood was not too far of a drive from Rey and Rose’s apartment near Downtown L.A. He took a drag and rested his elbows on the railing. The far reaches of the horizon were thinly veiled in fog and morning mist, the warm light of the sun just beginning to rise from behind the distant mountains. He recalled the previous nights festivities and Hux’s embarrassing nose dive off the stage. He had to get his shit together if they were going to continue to get bookings. _But,_ he thought, _the crowd loves us. So maybe it wasn’t a complete disaster…_

He heard the glass door to the balcony slide open behind him.

“Got a light?” A gruff voice asked.

Ben didn’t turn but knew it was DJ coming out for a smoke. He lifted his arm, lighter loosely grasped between his fingers, and flicked the sparkwheel, raising it up to DJ’s Camel as he rested his arms on the railing next to Ben.

DJ took a drag from the cigarette, held it in, and exhaled. “Rough night,” he declared.

“Nothing too different from what we’ve already been through with him,”

“Mmm,” DJ said. He paused. “Well, at least the crowd had a good time,” 

Ben said nothing and instantly thought of Rey. She had been at the forefront of his mind since he woke up that morning, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. She was exceedingly beautiful, and could have any guy she wanted. _God, I hope she calls me,_ he thought.

"If we don't get Hux under control, that's not going to look good when we want to make a deal with a record company." Ben asserted.

"Don't worry about that shit, Motley Crüe's no picnic and they still manage to sell plenty of records."

"We're no Motley Crüe. Not yet."

DJ inhaled his cigarette and held the smoke in his lungs. "I've already talked to Phasma about a couple more song ideas for the demo. Once we get that rolling, we're sending something out. You don't give yourself enough credit, man. I've been in a lot of shitty bands and I've been waiting to come up with something serious like this. We can get somewhere."

Ben exhaled. "Maybe you're right."

"I am right. You've got mean skill on that damn guitar _and_ you can write lyrics. Most people can't even do one of those things halfway decent."

"I don't want to fuck this up. This is all we've got. Next week at X-WIng needs to be perfect." He thought of Rey. He wanted desperately to impress her if she showed, especially at a venue of that size. That is, if she called him, if she was even into him. _Don't think that, you're a catch,_ he tried to convince himself.

"It's gonna be great, man, don't sweat it. You got the lyrics for the song we wrote last week?"

"I'm still working on it. Should have it done by today."

“Good." DJ paused. "Did you get that chick’s number?” DJ asked. 

Ben stiffened and his lips straightened into a hard line. “What? Which one, the short girl?” He replied, beginning to sweat. He took a drag from his cigarette.

“Don’t play stupid, the other one. Legs for days. Perky tits. The one you drove home.”

Ben's stomach soured at the sound of DJ fawning over Rey's body. Ben knew what was going through his bandmate's mind, and he didn't like it. “No. I didn’t.” He replied.

“You should’ve. She was smoking hot. The other girl was cute, but, man, she was really something. If you won't, then I might.” 

Ben squashed his cigarette. “I gave her my number,” Ben barked. He stood up and felt irritation and anger well up in him. “Stay away from her.”

“Chill out,” DJ said, laughing. “I didn’t realize she was your girl already." He shook his head. _Drama King._

“Not yet.” He declared and stormed inside. DJ shook his head and flicked his cigarette out into the brush as Ben slammed the sliding glass door.Ben felt the overwhelming urge to throw DJ off the balcony. He poured his coffee and took a sip. He didn’t want anyone to look at Rey the way scumbags like DJ looked at him. _What’s wrong with me?_ He thought as the immense jealousy flowed through him like hot poison in his veins. _Just drink your coffee, drink your coffee…_

He whipped out his songbook from the junk drawer, and flipped to an open page. Rey's smile instantly came to his mind. He felt longing for her touch and wondered what her hair would feel like on his skin as he kissed her, the wetness of her tongue, the delicate softness of her neck, the touch of her soft breasts on his chest in between his silk bedsheets. He felt blood rush to his cock. He sipped more coffee. _Focus!_

 _You,_ he wrote, _and me..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience, this hoe has been a long time coming! Got sick and then had to rearrange a few things for this chapter to come together. Hope you enjoy, next chapter up soon :)


	4. I Just Died (In Your Arms)

Monday morning arrived slower than Rey thought it would. She looked at her nails, and thought, _Ben._ She looked at the letter “B” on her keyboard, _Ben._ She heard the phone ring at the receptionist’s desk and looked over. _No, you can’t call him at work,_ she thought.

The low volume of the office radio hummed a Cutting Crew song in the corner of the 14th floor of Skywalker Engineering’s corporate building. Dozens of cubicles filled the area, the low chatter among employees a constant. A data monitor sat in front of Rey and hummed with the fluorescent lights above her. Diligently, she practiced a language she needed to learn in order to operate the newest version of the company software, her nails clacking on the keys as she squinted her eyes at the small digits and letters on the screen. Rose was in the cubicle across from her, her highly teased perm poking up above the height of the walls. 

Rose bounced up from her seat and stood to look at Rey, who was hunched in her maroon colored suit and skirt set, shoulder pads jutting out from over her. It was the style, the Macy’s department store clerk had said, it was “in”. But Rey definitely felt like ripping the shoulder pads off and throwing them _out._

“Hey, do you keep getting the same error code as me?” Rose asked, her eyebrows furrowed up. 

Rey slowly looked up, her fingers still typing steadily. “No. But show me what the error is, I can help,” she replied.

She walked over to Rose’s cubicle, standing over her and pointing out the tiny mistake Rose made on the black and green monitor screen. She could see the entire office from where she stood hovering over the desk. Fake ficus plants dotted their nearest vicinity, a wide sweeping window was present and had a beautiful skyline of Downtown Los Angeles, their operating managers just nearby in offices with glass walls. Finn was across the office from them, crunching code and sipping Maxwell House coffee just like they were, laid back in his chair, fingers touched together to form a triangle as he thought.

“Thank god that’s fixed, I was freaking out.” Rose said, breathing a sigh. “When’s lunch?” she asked.

Rey checked her watch. “Mario told us we could take our hour lunch whenever we wanted.”

“So... now,” Rose said giddily, leaping up out of her seat as she snatched up her handbag. “Wanna get Taco Bell?” 

“Again? But I brought my salad with me this time.” Rey said. Her stomach grumbled, and a cheese quesadilla flashed in her mind and she was forced to consider. “Alright, but it’s back on the meal plan for us after this.”

Grabbing their bags they both headed down the elevator to the lobby to the nearest Taco Bell. Two quesadillas and a serving of nachos later, they both were ready to walk the four blocks back to the Skywalker Aerospace building. Strutting on the concrete in Downtown, men catcalled from their cars, and Rey was not afraid to throw them her middle finger. "Sit and spin!" she yelled. They both laughed. 

The air was filled with coolness of spring as it began to warm its way into summer. In the sunlight of the day, Rey peered up at the towering Skywalker Aerospace building as they neared its revolving door. Fifty stories of gorgeous glass windows. She had finally made it. Now all she had to do was secure a full-time position from the internship program. She thought of the rigors of the program and the requirements she would need to meet in order to make it at this program, nervousness, excitement and just a tinge of fear stirring up within her. She had come so far from the struggles of her home life back in Arizona, and there was no looking back now. She was just about to enter the building when, two car lengths away from her, parked at the curb, she noticed a black Mustang with a red racing streak, looking very much like the one Ben drove. Her stomach fluttered.

"Hey," she said to Rose, "Doesn't that look like Ben's car from the other night?" she asked.

Rose turned to look at the car and her eyes widened, her eyebrows raising. "Yeah, that looks exactly like it." she replied as they both walked through the revolving glass door. "Oh my gosh, what if he works around here too?"

"Maybe, I haven't been able to call him yet because our phones won't be set up until after we get home." 

Rose looked at her watch. “Hm, it’s one-thirty right now, we’ll be off at five…”

Rey let Rose’s voice ramble, when suddenly a woman’s voice echoed behind her. She heard a set of heels clacking on the marble floors. Rey still crouched over her stomach to bother to turn around, but the woman’s voice that reached her ears sounded very familiar…

“You need to attend, Ben. I don’t care that you have to go to your band rehearsal, this is far more important than strumming on your guitar all day…”

 _Ben?_ Rey thought. Her stomach contorted into knots upon knots. Rose turned to look and Rey immediately saw her eyes turn into saucers, her lipstick covered lips beginning to part, then forcing them into a smile.

 _Oh no._ Rey thought. _What is that face she’s making. She never makes that face. Why is she making that face-_

"Hello Rose," the friendly voice greeted from behind Rey. 

“President Organa! It’s really great to see you,” Rose blurted out. When Rey finally managed to turn herself around she noticed first and foremost the tall, no-glitter, Armani suit wearing Ben Solo walking and standing _right next to President Leia Organa._

“How are you doing on your first day?” Leia asked, smiling as she stopped next to the pair, extending a hand out to shake Rose's hand. She wore a blue pantsuit, her brown mixed with grey hair tied up in a coiffed bun, her gently wrinkled face warm and pleased to see the two young women that had joined her company. She reached them and stood next to them, Ben at her side as they both prepared to wait for the elevator. “And Rey!” Leia continued. "It's wonderful to see you too.” she stated, reaching out to shake Rey's hand. 

Rey’s stomach turned from bad to worse and sank right through the bottoms of her feet, through the floor, and into the mailroom. She couldn't help but lock eyes with Ben Solo the rock guitarist, and he couldn't help but lock eyes right back. He had been dying to talk to her since he last saw her, and struggled to maintain his cool next to his mother. Of all the places he could see her, never in his imagination did he think he would see her meeting his mother right next, let alone employed by her. He struggled to hide the shock and awe from his expression and straightened his posture, swallowing his spit and trying to slow down his rapid breathing.

“Uh, we… uh,” Rey began, her voice already stammering into oblivion. _Fuck shit fuck fuck what the fuck shit-_

“We’re having a great start so far!" Rose interjected. "We just got back from having lunch,” she said, still forcing the smile on her teeth. 

“That’s good to hear,” Leia replied, her face a little disturbed at the spectacle of stammering Rey and obviously sweating through her pantsuit Rose.

“Hi,” Ben blurted. “I’m Leia’s son, Ben Solo,”, he said, immediately making eye contact with Rey as he stuck out his hand for her to shake. Rey choked on her spit as she jutted her hand out to place it into Ben’s, feeling the coarse manliness of his touch engulf her small hand. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as she gazed at the blue Armani suit Ben wore. It was cinched at the waist, expertly tailored and fitting snug along his pectorals. His hair was slicked back with pomade, and one silver earring hung from his right ear. They met each other’s eyes Rey could even smell his cologne, Calvin Klein’s _Obsession._ The color of her face betrayed her as she flushed a bright, crimson red.

Leia looked up at her son, her expression curious. “Right. Ladies, this is my son, Ben Solo.”

“Your son, Ben,” Rey repeated, her eyes still locked with Ben's.

“Yes. He comes around from time to time, when he’s not fooling around with his band.” Leia continued, snapping Rey out of her trance. “Ben, these are the new interns, Rey Jakku and Rose Tico.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Ben said as he withdrew his hand from Rey's grasp, moving to shake Rose's hand.

The elevator dinged, giving Rey another jolt as she realized they were all walking in to take the same ride up. Men and women poured out with their briefcases and pagers in a rush to go who knows where as they all walked in, the warm light of the California sun being cut off and replaced with what Rey thought was going to be a painfully awkward and equally enticing ride. She exchanged glances with Rose, who’s expression of shock and confusion was so convoluted she forced her smile even larger.

“Fourteenth floor?” Leia asked as she moved a manicured finger to the elevator buttons.

“Yes, ma’am, thank you.” Rose replied with a smile, the apples of her round cheeks rising with her smile. Leia pressed the according number button, the light glowing with an orange hue as the elevator ascended.

Ben stood right next to Rey, with Rose and President Organa standing directly in front of them. Ben's cologne was even stronger now that her shoulder brushed with his, more pronounced than the faint scent she smelled in his car. It beckoned her to get closer to him, sweat oozing out from her armpits. _Oh, god,_ she thought.

“There was another intern hired on with you two, wasn’t there? Finn?” Leia asked.

“Yes, he stayed behind in the office,” Rey responded, using her most cordial tone. “We’ve got his lunch with us.” she responded with a curt smile, gesturing to the plastic bag in her hand.

“Right, Finn,” Leia replied. “See, with every new run of interns I like to have a staff dinner here in the reception hall. My coordinator is already getting started with planning and everything. It will be black tie formal.” 

“Oh, that sounds lovely,” Rey said as the floor monitor above the door switched from five to six. 

“I’ll be sending invitations to each one of the employees in the mail. It’s time to finally have some women engineers. This industry is swarming with men,” Leia said with a smirk. 

The elevator dinged as it opened to Rey and Rose’s floor with the other interns in cubicles. A few people recognized the President immediately and waved to say hello, and Leia waved back with a ring studded hand. Rey and Rose stepped out of the elevator, their heels clacking on the tile floor.

“I look forward to seeing you there.” Leia said. Ben stood behind her quiet, looking at Rey’s still stunned eyes, her smile letting on that everything was fine. 

“Likewise,” Rey replied as she turned to face the two. Then Ben smiled. No, everything was not fine.

Ben mustered up the courage to seize the moment, even with his mother present. “I hope to see you both soon?” he asked, holding up his arm and waving with a smile, his eyes never moving form Rey. His mother looked up at him, surprised. Rose smirked and her eyes flicked up to her friend.

"Yes, we'll see you soon, Mr. Solo." Rey replied curtly. They gazed into each other as the elevator shut to separate them. Rey exhaled and began to breathe heavily. 

Rey, it’s okay, breathe just breathe,” Rose said, grabbing Rey’s thin arm and dragging her to their cubicles. 

“I can’t believe that _just happened_ ,” Rey whisper-yelled her voice high pitched and almost a shrill of delight had it not been for the anxiety that was stirring within her. The phones rang softly, the fax machines whirring in the background as they received messages from around the building. Rose stopped at their desk corner and plopped the bag filled with tacos on her desk.

“I… can’t believe that happened either,” Rose said, still dumbfounded. “Did you _see him!_ He looked so different in that suit, it was an _Armani_. I wonder what his mom thinks of his band.” Rose queried. “What do you think his day job is, do you think he works here?” 

“What are you guys talking about?” Finn asked. He managed to walk over right as he saw Rose and Rey approaching their desks without the two girls noticing. “Did you bring me my tacos?”

Rose turned to look at a confused Finn. “Come over for drinks after work,” she asserted. "Bring a six pack."

"Bring vodka," Rey declared. She took off her jacket, slumped into her desk chair and looked down at Ben's fading phone number on her arm. "And some horse tranquilizer."

XOXO 

Finn slammed his bottle beer onto Rose and Rey's kitchen countertop, sloshing the liquid onto his hand. “Of all the people you could have picked, Rey, you picked the president's son."

Over a Moscow mule, Rey mulled over her version of the day in her head, mindfully repeating the moment she first saw Ben in a suit over and over again. She compared today’s Ben to the first Ben she laid eyes on at _Starkiller,_ the contrast between Armani suit and skin tight black leather tantalizing, but quickly turning unsettling each time she circled back to the idea that he was her boss's boss's boss's son. She looked up at Finn, his eyebrows raised and brilliant white teeth showing as his mouth was gaped wide open in shock. By the television set, the phone technician, a short stout man by the name of Jawa, worked on the landline.

“I know, I know,” Rose replied as she sipped on her Moscow mule, the lime wedge resting on the lip of the copper mug. “Rey practically had a cow when she saw him,” She looked over at her friend. Rey was trying to smile but was putting more effort into hiding an intense emotional discomfort, her smile more like a grimace than anything else. She took another sip of her drink and let the warmth take over, sucking it down until all she could see were the ice cubes and squeezed lime wedge at the bottom of the mug.

“This is crazy,” Finn said, exasperated. “I literally don't get it. Wouldn’t you think that Leia Organa’s son would be in the business with her, not in some gimpy band?”

“You were the one that invited us to the show in the first place. I thought you were a fan.” Rose said, chuckling.

“Yeah well, that was _before_ the singer knocked Poe out,” he replied, “Gimpy is a good word for them.”

Rey poured another ginger beer followed by a generous helping of vodka into her mug. “He's so hot...” she whimpered, slamming the bottle on the counter. "I didn't even get to call him. What am I gonna do, he's the President's son!" She whimpered, stirring the drink with her finger. 

"Well," Finn said, “You didn't know he was the President's son before you met him, obviously, but..."

"Call him anyway!" Rose declared, the smell of alcohol strong on her hot breath.

"Oh no, don't call him!" Finn cried. He shook his head and chugged the rest of his beer.

"You still can call him. He even said _I hope to see you both soon!_ " Rose went on.

"He said that?" asked Finn. Rose nodded up and down, her ponytail bobbing with her head.

"Hmm...." Rey pondered, guzzling down her drink as if it was the life saving cure for dehydration. Her cheeks flushed a crimson red. Doubt crept into her mind as she mulled over what to do next. She felt so drawn to Ben that it was overwhelming. She had so many questions for him, she only wanted to get to know what lied beneath the mystery of his aura. Liquid courage was setting in, and so were the horny thoughts she had for Ben. President Organa didn't _have_ to know she was talking to her son, right? It was just a phone call. "You're right." She drawled, "You only live once. Fuck it, I'm going to call him _anyways._ "

"Here we go." Finn sighed.

"Hey!" Rey called to Jawa. "Is the phone set up yet?"

"Just finished up." He said, scratching his rear end. "Voicemail machine too. It's all yours."

"Thank you _so much,"_ Rose said. "Here, we don't have any cash on us," She handed him a beer as a tip, and he headed for the door.

Rey stumbled over to the phone and grabbed the pocket phone book which sat atop the television set. Flipping the pages, she finally stopped at where Ben Solo's name was and dialed the number. The room spun around her and she snickered as Rose smiled, clutching her hand to Finn's arm to try and contain her stupor. 

Rey twirled the cord with her fingers and chewed on her bottom lip. _Beep... beep... beep..._

XXX

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos/follow/comment if you enjoyed, I love feedback!
> 
> Follow me on the tumblrino @benreysoloss


End file.
